Los Angeles Lakers Receive: F Julius Randle, G Evan Fournier
New York Knicks Receive: G Russell Westbrook
Remember, these are dream acquisitions for the Los Angeles Lakers. Flipping Russell Westbrook for two productive veterans may be a long shot. It would require a desperate party.
Enter, as usual, the New York Knicks.
The Knicks are fresh off of their own disappointing season. They took a substantial step backward from last season, missing the play-in tournament altogether. Now, they’ve got a number of large contracts dedicated to veterans who clearly aren’t taking them as far as they’d like to go. This deal offers them an opportunity to reset.
After all, Westbrook is on an expiring contract. Randle and Fournier are on the books for 4 and 3 more years, respectively. The New York Knicks may look to bottom out once Westbrook’s deal expires. In the meantime, bringing the Westbrook show to Madison Square Garden feels long overdue.
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The New York Knicks could put him back in a position where he’s the focal point of an NBA offense. He’ll rack up triple-doubles, the Knicks will rack up losses that put them in the lottery, and everyone comes away satisfied.
Including the Los Angeles Lakers. Julius Randle may be coming off of a down year, but there’s a possibility he’ll regress to the mean once he’s back in the purple and yellow. It’s probably worth a gamble. It would have to be better than the Westbrook experiment.
